Box Score

BOSTON - The Boston University softball team (30-14, 12-3 America East) completed a three-game sweep of America East rival Albany (20-21, 11-4 AE) with a 7-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Terriers take over sole possession of first place in the conference standings.

Freshman Amy Ekart continued her solid offensive weekend with three hits in four at-bats, including one double. Classmate Megan Volpano was 2-for-4 with a run, two RBIs and homer. In all, the Terriers recorded nine hits with five different batters connecting at least once.

Sophomore hurler Whitney Tuthill (9-6) turned in a three-hit gem in the circle as she claimed her first shutout of the season. Tuthill forced 15 ground outs and issued just two walks, while striking out two batters. The Middletown, Conn., native limited the Great Danes to just three singles and only two base runners reached second.

Defensively, the Terriers were solid making a handful of impressive plays, including a pair of assists from shortstop freshman Brittany Clendenny, and senior Christina Valdes with a sliding catch in right field to end the game.

Volpano gave the Terriers an early lead as she hit her fourth homer of the year driving in redshirt freshman Jayme Mask. BU, which scored in all but two frames, tacked on another run in the second as it loaded the bases on an error, infield single and walk. Mask scored her second run of the game when an errant pitch sailed into the back stop, giving the speedy outfielder plenty of time to come home.

In the third it took advantage of an infield error as pinch runner Kayla Kruper scored from second to move to the score to 4-0. In the fifth, the Terriers opened up the lead with three runs on four hits. Ekart led off with a double to left field and Clendenny followed up with a single. Ekart scored on another wild pitch and in the next at-bat, Clendenny came home on a double down the left line by senior Caitlin Rentler. Junior Melanie Delgado drove in the final run on BU's third double of the game.

Albany went down in order in the seventh on two ground outs and Valdes' sliding catch in right field.

BU will play one non-conference contest this week against Boston College on Thursday (May 5) at 4 p.m., before heading to Binghamton on Saturday (May 7) and Sunday (May 8) for a crucial three-game series, which will determine the America East's regular season champion. With two wins, the Terriers can clinch home field advantage in the AE tourney.